[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":9},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260311FB68BF-4":3},{"id":4,"number":4,"name":5,"content":6,"isLocked":7,"price":8,"hasRead":7},4,"Chapter 4: A Dream of Tears and Truth","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair as his lips parted. \"Silly girl, why didn't you say something sooner...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I buried my face against his chest, tears finally breaking free like a burst dam. Six years of pent-up emotions poured out of me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As I cried, he held me tighter. Benjamin was back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He held me close, kissing my hair and my tear-streaked eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Drunk as I was, I tried to push him away, but he only tightened his grip.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next morning, I woke to an empty bed. Benjamin was gone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For a moment, I wondered if it had all been a dream.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A warm embrace conjured by a woman starved for affection.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My head throbbed painfully from the late night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Staggering out of bed, I found breakfast laid out on the dining table, a note beside it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Nora, eat well. I've headed to the office.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I crumpled the note and tossed it in the trash with the untouched breakfast.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He still hadn't explained anything about Sophia.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was avoiding the real issue, so what was the point of all this devotion?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As soon as I arrived at the office, I spotted Sophia waiting downstairs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Flawlessly made up, in sparkling heels, her wavy hair catching the sunlight, she showed no sign of being pregnant.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She strutted over the moment she saw me, her demeanor dripping with arrogance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Miss Collins, we meet again...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We share a character in our names, Miss Collins. Ever wondered why? I've heard that without the luck of your name, Benjamin might not have ended up with you! Thanks for taking care of him all these years...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She offered a sweet, saccharine smile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I returned it with one of my own.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Benjamin is my husband. Taking care of him is my duty. No need for an outsider to thank me. As for you, pregnant and rushing to be the other woman – that must be exhausting!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sophia's smile faltered, her expression darkening.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, in a flash, she collapsed at my feet, sobbing dramatically.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Miss Collins, please, have mercy on me and my child! This baby isn't Benjamin's... The father is a scumbag, he abandoned us! Benjamin just pities me, he only wanted to give me a place to stay... Miss Collins, please be magnanimous...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before she could finish, a pair of large hands lifted her up. Benjamin had appeared out of nowhere, his tone icy as he chastised me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Nora, I've told you countless times, yet you still refuse to believe me! Sophia's child isn't mine. She's in a truly pitiable state. I just... I just wanted to look after her and the child temporarily.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After seven years with Benjamin, I realized how little I truly knew him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What if I told you this is all an act Sophia put on, just to play on your sympathies, to make you pity her? Would you believe me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I looked up, meeting his eyes, my voice calm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His gaze flickered with a hint of hesitation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sophia shook her head, tears welling up, and collapsed weakly into his arms.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He quickly regained his composure, gently patting her back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She didn't need to say a word; it was more effective than any lengthy explanation I could offer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In his eyes, Sophia was an innocent, harmless little bunny—fragile, blameless, incapable of malice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">While I was sharp-tongued, defiant, fiercely independent, someone who would never let herself be pushed around.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I suddenly envied Sophia.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The truth was, I cried easily too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But if I cried, who would hold me?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My grandmother, my dearest one, had been gone for years, and now Benjamin had his first love back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was alone again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At night, I could only clutch the bedsheet, crying for my own ears to hear.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Whether it was morning sickness or a physical repulsion stirred by the sight of them, a wave of dry heaves suddenly overcame me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I retched until there was nothing left but bile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin watched me with a concerned look.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Putting Sophia aside, he came over and gently patted my back, his voice laced with worry.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why are you suddenly vomiting? Are you feeling unwell? Let me take you to see a doctor.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272933082]